Conveyer belt



July 1 1, 1939. c. M, MaC CHESNEY 2,165,283

CONVEYER BELT Filed June 25, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 -29 III I l l Ifl N 1 5.

Manta? i I g 3 My 11, 1939. c, MacCHESNEY 2,165,283

CONVEYER BELT Filed June 25, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented July 11, 1939 Chester M. MacChesney, Chicago, 111., assignor to Acme Steel Company, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Application June 25, 1936, Serial No. 81,141

'lClaims.

This invention relates to improvements in conveyer belts and its purpose is to provide an improved endless belt formed of metal parts adapted for use in conveying loose materials from one "lo- 5 cation to mother. The principal objector the invention is to provide an improved metallic conveyer belt formed of pivotally connected parts which provide a substantially continuous conveying surface throughout the area of the belt.

[ Another object oi. the invention is to provide a conveyer belt formed of a plurality of series of metal plates, the plates of each series intermeshing withand being pivotally connected to the plates of two adjacent series, whereby an endlli less belt is provided having a substantially continuous conveying surface. Still another object .of the invention is to. provide a conveyer belt comprising a plurality of metal plates which in-.

termesh with each other and which are pivto otaliy. connected in the region in which they intermesh so thatlongitudinal separation of the plates in the direction of their pivotal axes is prevented. A further object of the invention is to provide an endless metallic conveyer belt adapted to pass around pulleys'or the like and made up of a plurality of pivotally connected metal plates provided with parts which are adapted to engage the pulleys between the points of pivotal connection to provide support for intervening 30 areas of each plate between said pivotal connections. Other objects relate to various features of construction and arrangement which will appear more fully hereinafter. y The nature of the invention will be understood from the following specification and taken with the accompanying drawings in which one embodiment is illustrated.

In the drawings- Figure 1 shows a side elevation of the im- [0 proved conveyer belt mounted on supporting pulleys and intervening idler rollers;

Fig. 2 shows a top plan view on an enlarged scale of a portion of the conveyer belt illustrated in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 shows a side elevation of the structure illustrated in Fig. 2;

, Fig. 4 shows a longitudinal section taken on the line H of Fig. 2;

, Fig. 5 shows a transverse section taken on the ,0 line 5-5 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 shows a transverse section taken on the lineG-tof Fig.2;

Fig. 7 shows a perspective view of one of -.the

metal plates embodied in the conveyer belt -shown 3 in Figs. 1 to 6, inclusive, and

Fig. 8 is a perspective view or one of the plates which is used along the edges of the belt to fill intervening spaces between'end portions oi. two plates having the form shown in Fig.

As illustrated in Fig. 1,.the improv d conveyer 5 belt I0 is shown as being mounted to extend around two pulleys or rolls II which are carried by shafts i2 journaled in bearings not illustrated. One of the shafts I 2 is adapted to be driven by a source of power thus causing-the upper stretch ,10 of the belt to travel in the direction of the arrow l3, for example, for the purpose of conveying materials which are discharged onto the belt. This upper stretch of the belt is supported by a plurality of idler rolls M which are supported by shafts journaled in suitable bearings. The conveyer belt, the details of which are shown more particularly in Figs. 2 to 8 inclusive, is made up primarily of a plurality of metal plates i5 which are supplemented along the edges of the belt by other plates IS, the specific construction of the plates vl5 and I6 being shown in Figs.

7 and 8, respectively. These plates are connected together by pivot pins l'l, each of which extends throughout the width of the belt and these pins are, in the embodiment illustrated, restrained against endwise movement by means of a series of protector plates [8 which are mounted at intervals along the edges of the belt and i which do not constitute a part of the present invention. being described and claimed in the copending application of Chesterv M. MacChesney and Allen B. Wilson; Serial'No. 181,476, filed December 24, 1937. y

The belt I0 is made up of a plurality of transverse series of plates, each alternate series being made up entirely of a plurality of plates [5 while the intermediate series are made up of a series of plates i5 having one of the plates li at the ends thereof. The plates i5 of one transverse 40 series are staggered in position with respecttothe plates l5 of each next adjacent series in order to permit the plates of one series to intermesh with those of the adjacent series. Each plate l5 comprises a flat sheet metal member having oppositely located rectangular notches 15- extending inwardly from opposite sides thereof midway between the ends of the plates, thus formingat each end of the plate two oppositely disposed tongues l5, each of which has its edge rolled to form a cylindrical bearing portion l5. Between its ends I5, each plate is provided at its middle point with a transverse depression 15 formed by a downwardly extending V-shaped rib IS. The width of each notch II is such that it is adapted to-be completely occupied by two of the tongues l5 carried by two adjacent plates. Thus, when two adjacent series of plates l6 are arranged side by side, in staggered relationship, the notches l5 of each plate are occupied by the tongues l5 carried by'iour adjacent plates and all of the plates of adjacent series are pivotally connectedtogether by a pivot pin I! which extends through the aligning bearing portions 15.

Due to the staggered relationship of the plates I! in adjacent transverse series, the ends or the plates IS in some series project beyond the ends of the corresponding plates in other series and, in order that thespaces between these projections may be occupied so that the sides of the belt will be parallel to each other, the plates l6 are inserted in these spaces. plate I6 is, in form,

exactly like one-half of each plate l5, being provided on opposite sides with: anguar notches l6 which correspond in shape and size to half portions of the notches I5. The edge of each plate l6 between the notches l6a -teminates in a downturned portion I6 which is in form like one-half, or one side wall, of one of the ribs I5 Each plate I6 is further provided at its ends with a pair of oppositely disposed tongues l6 each of which corresponds in size to one .of the tongues l5 Each tongue iii further terminates in a rolled bearing portion I6 which is adapted to align with an adjacent bearing portion l5. When the plates l6 are assembled between the end portions of two adjacent plates l5 the down-turned flanges Iii are adapted to align with the edges l5 of the plates l5 in an adjacent series of plates.

Due to the fact that the major portion of each notch I5 is occupied by two of the projections I5, or l5 and li carried by adjacent plates, the upper stretch of the belt presents a substantially unbroken metallic surface, except for the relatively small elongated slots H! which are formed between the inner margins of the notches and the adjacent edges of the bearing portions, as shown in Fig. 2. The ends Hi of adjacent plates are adapted to coact with each other and relative endwise separation of adjacent plates is prevented by reason of the fact that the tongues of adjacent plates intermesh with each other throughout the area of the belt. The ribs I5 which are formed on the plates not only strengthen them and prevent bending thereof in use, but they provide bearing portions which engage the surfaces of the rolls H and of the idler rolls M to support the plates between their pivots as they travel' around the rolls. Any undesirable up and down motion of the plates upon the pulleys is thus prevented and the upper I stretch of the belt has a smooth continuous travel plates of which the belt is formed and, also to prevent endwise movement of the pivot pins l8 with respect to the bearing portions of the plates in which they are mounted, the lateral edges of .the belt are preferably provided with a plurality of protector plates l8, each of which is provided with a top portion it having a pair of tongues I." which are adapted to extend through slots [5' formed in the plates II which are at the edges'of the belt. Each plate l8 has a downturned flange II which extends transversely to the plane of the surface oi. the belt and which is adapted to enact with the side guides 20 during the travel oi the belt, when suilicient lateral shifting of the belt takes place. These side flanges l8 are provided with inwardly bent tongues or projections l8, shown in Fig. 6, which underlie the edges 01 the plates IS on which they are mounted and, after a plate 18 has been put in place with these tongues I 8' projecting beneath the plates IS, the tongues l8 which are formed on the inner edges of the plate l8, are

reversely'bent as shown at l8 so that the plates 18 are then held securely in place. The downturned flanges l8 of these plates l8 project over the bearing portions l at the edges of the belt and thus prevent'the pivot pins II from projecting outwardly beyond these flanges.

Although one form of the invention has been shown and described by way of illustration, it will be understood that it may be constructed in various other embodiments coming within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim: t 1. A conveyer belt comprising a plurality of metal plates, said plates being arranged in transverse rows with those of one row staggered with respect to those of adjacent rows, separate smaller plates filling the spaces between certain of said first named plates at the ends of alternate rows whereby the ends of. all of the rows align with each other at each side of the belt, and means for pivotally connecting the first named plates and said smaller plates of adjacent rows.

2. A conveyer belt comprising a plurality of metal plates, said plates being arranged in transverse rows with those of one row staggered with respect to those of adjacent rows, separate smaller plates filling the spaces between certain of said first named plates at the ends of alternate rows whereby the ends of all of the rows align with each other at each side of the belt, said first named plates and said smaller plates having bearing sleeves formed thereon at their edges, and pins pivotally engaging said sleeves to connect adjacent rows of plates.

3. A conveyer belt comprising a plurality of metal plates each having notches on opposite sides thereof forming projecting tongues on opposite sides of each notch said plates being arranged in rows with the plates of each row staggered with respect to those of the next adjacent rows, each of said notches being adapted to receive two tongues carried by adjacent plates, and means for pivotally connecting the intermeshing tongues of plates located in adjacent rows.

4. A conveyer belt comprising a plurality of metal plates each having notches on opposite sides thereof forming projecting tongues on opposite sides of each notch, each plate being further-provided with a downwardly extending rib between said notches, said plates being arrangedin rows with those of one row staggered with respect to the plates of the next adjacent rows, each of said notches being adapted to receive two of said tongues carried by two plates in an adjacent row, whereby the tongues of the plates of adjacent rows interemesh with each other to prevent relative endwise separation thereof, said tongues being provided with bearing portions, and pivot pins engaging said bearing portions to by adjacent plates, a plurality of smaller plates, each formed as a half portion of one of said first named plates {or filling the spaces between form pivotal connections between adjacent rows of plates.

5. A conveyer belt comprising a plurality of metal plates, said plates being arranged in transverse rows with those of one row staggered with respect to those oi adjacent rows, each of said plates having notches on opposite sides thereof forming projecting tongues on opposite sides of each notch, each of said notches being engaged and substantially filled by'two projections carried by adjacent plates, a plurality of smaller plates, each formed as a half portion of one of said first named plates for filling the spaces between certain of said first named plates at the ends of certain of said rows whereby the ends of said rows align with each other at the edges of said belt, the projections of said plates having bearing portions formed thereon, and pivot pins engaging said bearing portions for pivotally connecting the plates of adjacent rows.

6. A conveyer belt comprising a plurality of metal plates, said plates being arranged in transverse rows with those of one row staggered with respect to those of adjacent rows, each of said plates having notches on opposite sides thereof forming projecting tongues on opposite sides of each notch, each 0! said notches being engaged and substantially filled by two projections carried certain of said first named plates at the ends of certain of said rows whereby the ends of said rows align with each other at the edges of said belt, the projections of said plates having bearing portions formed thereon, and pivot pins engaging said bearing portions for pivotally connecting the plates of adjacent rows said first named plates having transverse downwardly extending ribs between the opposite notches formed thereon, said second named plates having downturned flanges at their ends corresponding in shape to half portions of said ribs formed on said first named plates.

'7. A conveyer belt comprising a plurality of sheet metal plates each having notches at opposite ends thereof taming projecting tongues on opposite sides of each notch, each of said notches being adapted to receive two tongues carried by adjacent plates, said tongues having their ends curled to form bearing sleeves, said plates being bent inwardly to form downwardly projecting ribs extending between opposite notches, and pins engaging the sleeves carried by the intermeshing tongues of adjacent rows of plates.

CHESTER M. 

